Kenny Wheeler
Encyclopedia
Kenneth Vincent John Wheeler, OC
(born 14 January 1930, Toronto, Canada) is a Canadian
composer
and trumpet
and flugelhorn
player, based in the U.K. since the 1950s.
Most of his output is rooted in jazz
, but he has also been active in free improvisation
and has occasionally contributed to rock music
recordings. Wheeler has written over one hundred compositions and is a skilled arranger for small groups and larger ensembles.
Kenny Wheeler still lives in Britain today and is the patron of the Royal Academy Junior Jazz course.
in 1950. In 1952, Wheeler moved to Britain. He found his way into the London jazz scene of the time, playing in groups led by Tommy Whittle
, Tubby Hayes
, and Ronnie Scott
. In the late 1950s, he was a member of Buddy Featherstonhaugh
's quintet together with Bobby Wellins
. Throughout the Sixties, he worked with John Dankworth
, and also formed part of (Eric Burdon
and) The Animals
Big Band that made its one-and-only public appearance at the 5th Annual British Jazz & Blues Festival
in Richmond (1965) with tenors Stan Robinson
, Dick Morrissey
and Al Gay, baritone sax Paul Carroll, and fellow trumpets Ian Carr
and Greg Brown. In 1968, Wheeler appeared on guitarist Terry Smith
's first solo album, Fall Out.
Kenny Wheeler has performed and recorded his own compositions with large jazz ensembles throughout his career, starting with his first album Windmill Tilter, (1969), recorded with the John Dankworth
band. The Windmill Tilter LP today is a collector's item, since the original master tapes have been lost. A digitally remastered (by Andrew Thompson at Sound Performance, London) CD is being released by BGO records BGOCD944 in September 2010. The big band
album Song for Someone, (1973, Incus10) fused Wheeler's characteristic orchestral writing with passages of free improvisation provided by musicians such as Evan Parker
and Derek Bailey, and was also named Album of the Year by Melody Maker
magazine in 1975. This has subsequently been reissued on CD by Evan Parker's Psi label (psi 04.01)
In the mid-1960s, Wheeler became a close participant in the nascent free improvisation
movement in London, playing with John Stevens
, Evan Parker
, the Spontaneous Music Ensemble
and the Globe Unity Orchestra
. His involvement in this genre continues to this day. Despite the above-noted accomplishments, much of Wheeler's reputation rests on his work with smaller jazz groups. Wheeler's first small group recordings to gain significant critical attention were Gnu High (1975) and Deer Wan (1977), both for the ECM label. Gnu High is one of the few albums ever to feature Keith Jarrett
as a sideman
since his Tenure with Charles Lloyd
. One exception was his rare album that was recorded on CBC called Ensemble Fusionaire in 1976. This had three other fellow Canadian musicians and was recorded in St. Mary's Church in Toronto for better sound than on the ECM recordings.
Wheeler was the trumpet player in the Anthony Braxton
Quartet from 1971 to 1976; and from 1977 he was also a member of chamber jazz group Azimuth
(with John Taylor
and Norma Winstone
). More recently, Wheeler received widespread critical praise for his 1997 album Angel Song, which featured an unusual "drummerless" quartet of Bill Frisell
(guitar), Dave Holland
(bass) and Lee Konitz
(alto sax).
With Azimuth
With George Adams
With Rainer Brüninghaus
With Collective Consciousness Society
With John Dankworth
with Bill Frisell
with Paul Gonsalves
With Dave Holland
With Joni Mitchell
With David Sylvian
With Ralph Towner
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
(born 14 January 1930, Toronto, Canada) is a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
and flugelhorn
Flugelhorn
The flugelhorn is a brass instrument resembling a trumpet but with a wider, conical bore. Some consider it to be a member of the saxhorn family developed by Adolphe Sax ; however, other historians assert that it derives from the valve bugle designed by Michael Saurle , Munich 1832 , thus...
player, based in the U.K. since the 1950s.
Most of his output is rooted in jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, but he has also been active in free improvisation
Free improvisation
Free improvisation or free music is improvised music without any rules beyond the logic or inclination of the musician involved. The term can refer to both a technique and as a recognizable genre in its own right....
and has occasionally contributed to rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
recordings. Wheeler has written over one hundred compositions and is a skilled arranger for small groups and larger ensembles.
Kenny Wheeler still lives in Britain today and is the patron of the Royal Academy Junior Jazz course.
Biography
Growing up in Toronto, Wheeler began playing cornet at age 12, and became interested in jazz in his mid-teens. Wheeler spent a year studying composition at the Royal Conservatory in TorontoRoyal Conservatory of Music (Toronto)
The Royal Conservatory of Music, also known as The Royal Conservatory, is one of the largest and most respected music education institutions in the world...
in 1950. In 1952, Wheeler moved to Britain. He found his way into the London jazz scene of the time, playing in groups led by Tommy Whittle
Tommy Whittle
Tommy Whittle is a British jazz saxophonist.Whittle was born in Grangemouth, Scotland and started playing clarinet at age 12 before taking up the tenor saxophone at 13. He moved to Chatham, Kent at 16 and in 1943 started playing in the dance hall band of Claude Giddins in nearby Gillingham...
, Tubby Hayes
Tubby Hayes
Edward Brian "Tubby" Hayes was an English jazz multi-instrumentalist, best known for his tenor saxophone playing in groups with fellow sax player Ronnie Scott and with trumpeter Jimmy Deuchar. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest British jazz instrumentalists.- Early life :Hayes was born...
, and Ronnie Scott
Ronnie Scott
Ronnie Scott was an English jazz tenor saxophonist and jazz club owner.-Life and career:Ronnie Scott was born in Aldgate, east London, into a family of Russian Jewish descent on his father's side, and Portuguese antecedents on his mother's. Scott began playing in small jazz clubs at the age of...
. In the late 1950s, he was a member of Buddy Featherstonhaugh
Buddy Featherstonhaugh
Rupert Edward Lee "Buddy" Featherstonhaugh was an English jazz saxophonist.Featherstonhaugh studied in Sussex, and had his first professional gig with Pat O'Malley in 1927. He was with Spike Hughes from 1930 to 1932, and toured England in Billy Mason's band behind Louis Armstrong that same year...
's quintet together with Bobby Wellins
Bobby Wellins
Robert Coull "Bobby" Wellins is a Scottish tenor saxophonist best known for his collaboration with Stan Tracey on the seminal 1965 British jazz album Under Milk Wood....
. Throughout the Sixties, he worked with John Dankworth
John Dankworth
Sir John Phillip William Dankworth, CBE , known in his early career as Johnny Dankworth, was an English jazz composer, saxophonist and clarinetist...
, and also formed part of (Eric Burdon
Eric Burdon
Eric Victor Burdon is an English singer-songwriter best known as a founding member and vocalist of rock band The Animals, and the funk rock band War and for his aggressive stage performance...
and) The Animals
The Animals
The Animals were an English music group of the 1960s formed in Newcastle upon Tyne during the early part of the decade, and later relocated to London...
Big Band that made its one-and-only public appearance at the 5th Annual British Jazz & Blues Festival
National Jazz and Blues Festival
The National Jazz and Blues Festival was the precursor to the Reading Rock Festival and was the brainchild of Harold Pendleton, the manager of the prestigious Marquee Club in Soho....
in Richmond (1965) with tenors Stan Robinson
Stan Robinson (saxophonist)
Stan Robinson is an English jazz tenor saxophonist.Robinson started playing professionally at Manchester’s Club 43 before travelling to London and appearing at Ronnie Scott’s Club in the 60s...
, Dick Morrissey
Dick Morrissey
Richard Edwin "Dick" Morrissey was a British jazz musician and composer. He played the tenor sax, soprano sax and flute.- Background :...
and Al Gay, baritone sax Paul Carroll, and fellow trumpets Ian Carr
Ian Carr
Ian Carr was a Scottish jazz musician, composer, writer, and educator.-Early years:Carr was born in Dumfries, Scotland, the elder brother of Mike Carr...
and Greg Brown. In 1968, Wheeler appeared on guitarist Terry Smith
Terry Smith (British jazz guitarist)
Terence 'Terry' Smith is a British Jazz guitarist.-Biography:Twice winner of the Melody Maker Music Polls, Smith spent the early 1960s playing with the Tony Lee Trio, before becoming Scott Walker's musical director and accompanying The Walker Brothers on their Japan tour in 1968...
's first solo album, Fall Out.
Kenny Wheeler has performed and recorded his own compositions with large jazz ensembles throughout his career, starting with his first album Windmill Tilter, (1969), recorded with the John Dankworth
John Dankworth
Sir John Phillip William Dankworth, CBE , known in his early career as Johnny Dankworth, was an English jazz composer, saxophonist and clarinetist...
band. The Windmill Tilter LP today is a collector's item, since the original master tapes have been lost. A digitally remastered (by Andrew Thompson at Sound Performance, London) CD is being released by BGO records BGOCD944 in September 2010. The big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
album Song for Someone, (1973, Incus10) fused Wheeler's characteristic orchestral writing with passages of free improvisation provided by musicians such as Evan Parker
Evan Parker
Evan Shaw Parker is a British free-improvising saxophone player from the European free jazz scene.Recording and performing prolifically with many collaborators, Parker was a pivotal figure in the development of European free jazz and free improvisation, and has pioneered or substantially expanded...
and Derek Bailey, and was also named Album of the Year by Melody Maker
Melody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
magazine in 1975. This has subsequently been reissued on CD by Evan Parker's Psi label (psi 04.01)
In the mid-1960s, Wheeler became a close participant in the nascent free improvisation
Free improvisation
Free improvisation or free music is improvised music without any rules beyond the logic or inclination of the musician involved. The term can refer to both a technique and as a recognizable genre in its own right....
movement in London, playing with John Stevens
John Stevens (drummer)
John William Stevens was an English drummer. He was one of the most significant figures in early free improvisation, and a founding member of the Spontaneous Music Ensemble .-Biography:Stevens was born in Brentford, the son of a tap dancer...
, Evan Parker
Evan Parker
Evan Shaw Parker is a British free-improvising saxophone player from the European free jazz scene.Recording and performing prolifically with many collaborators, Parker was a pivotal figure in the development of European free jazz and free improvisation, and has pioneered or substantially expanded...
, the Spontaneous Music Ensemble
Spontaneous Music Ensemble
The Spontaneous Music Ensemble was a loose collection of free improvising musicians convened beginning in the mid-1960s by the late South London-based jazz drummer/trumpeter John Stevens and alto and soprano saxophonist Trevor Watts...
and the Globe Unity Orchestra
Globe Unity Orchestra
The Globe Unity Orchestra is a free jazz ensemble.Globe Unity was formed in autumn 1966 with a commission received by Alexander von Schlippenbach from the Berlin Jazz Festival...
. His involvement in this genre continues to this day. Despite the above-noted accomplishments, much of Wheeler's reputation rests on his work with smaller jazz groups. Wheeler's first small group recordings to gain significant critical attention were Gnu High (1975) and Deer Wan (1977), both for the ECM label. Gnu High is one of the few albums ever to feature Keith Jarrett
Keith Jarrett
Keith Jarrett is an American pianist and composer who performs both jazz and classical music.Jarrett started his career with Art Blakey, moving on to play with Charles Lloyd and Miles Davis. Since the early 1970s he has enjoyed a great deal of success in jazz, jazz fusion, and classical music; as...
as a sideman
Sideman
A sideman is a professional musician who is hired to perform or record with a group of which he or she is not a regular member. They often tour with solo acts as well as bands and jazz ensembles. Sidemen are generally required to be adaptable to many different styles of music, and so able to fit...
since his Tenure with Charles Lloyd
Charles Lloyd
Charles Lloyd is an American jazz musician. Though he primarily plays tenor saxophone and flute, he has also occasionally recorded on alto saxophone and more exotic reed instruments which include the Hungarian tárogató. Lloyd's saxophone playing is often characterized as an individualized,...
. One exception was his rare album that was recorded on CBC called Ensemble Fusionaire in 1976. This had three other fellow Canadian musicians and was recorded in St. Mary's Church in Toronto for better sound than on the ECM recordings.
Wheeler was the trumpet player in the Anthony Braxton
Anthony Braxton
Anthony Braxton is an American composer, saxophonist, clarinettist, flautist, pianist, and philosopher. Braxton has released well over 100 albums since the 1960s...
Quartet from 1971 to 1976; and from 1977 he was also a member of chamber jazz group Azimuth
Azimuth (band)
Azimuth was a British jazz trio, active from 1977 to 2000. The ensemble was composed of trumpeter Kenny Wheeler, vocalist Norma Winstone and Winstone's husband, pianist John Taylor...
(with John Taylor
John Taylor (jazz)
John Taylor is a British jazz pianist; he has occasionally performed on the organ and the synthesiser. He is one of Europe's most celebrated jazz pianists and composers.-Performing career:...
and Norma Winstone
Norma Winstone
Norma Ann Winstone MBE is a British jazz singer and lyricist. In a career spanning over forty years she is best known for her wordless improvisations....
). More recently, Wheeler received widespread critical praise for his 1997 album Angel Song, which featured an unusual "drummerless" quartet of Bill Frisell
Bill Frisell
William Richard "Bill" Frisell is an American guitarist and composer.One of the leading guitarists in jazz since the late 1980s, Frisell's eclectic music touches on progressive folk, classical music, country music, noise and more...
(guitar), Dave Holland
Dave Holland
Dave Holland is an English jazz double bassist, composer and bandleader who has been performing and recording for five decades. He has lived in the United States for 40 years....
(bass) and Lee Konitz
Lee Konitz
Lee Konitz is an American jazz composer and alto saxophonist born in Chicago, Illinois.Generally considered one of the driving forces of Cool Jazz, Konitz has also performed successfully in bebop and avant-garde settings...
(alto sax).
As leader
- 1968: Windmill Tilter
- 1973: Song for Someone
- 1975: Gnu HighGnu HighGnu High is an album by Kenny Wheeler featuring Keith Jarrett, Dave Holland and Jack DeJohnette recorded in 1975 and released on the ECM label in 1976. The Allmusic review by Michael G...
(ECM) - 1976: Ensemble Fusionaire
- 1977: Deer WanDeer WanDeer Wan is an album by Kenny Wheeler featuring performances by Wheeler with Jan Garbarek, John Abercrombie, Dave Holland and Jack DeJohnette with Ralph Towner appearing on one track. The album was recorded in 1977 and released on the ECM label...
(ECM) - 1980: Around 6Around 6Around 6 is an album by trumpeter Kenny Wheeler recorded in 1979 and released on the ECM label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow awarded the album 4 stars stating "the sextet performs six Wheeler originals that combine together advanced swinging with fairly free explorations...
(ECM) - 1984: Double, Double YouDouble, Double YouDouble, Double You is an album by Kenny Wheeler featuring performances by Wheeler with Mike Brecker, John Taylor, Dave Holland and Jack DeJohnette. The album was recorded in 1983 and released on the ECM label...
(ECM) - 1987: Walk Softly
- 1988: Flutter By, Butterfly (Soul Note)
- 1988: Visions (Justin Time)
- 1990: Music For Large & Small EnsemblesMusic For Large & Small EnsemblesMusic For Large & Small Ensembles is an album by Canadian jazz trumpeter, Kenny Wheeler which was released in 1990 through ECM Records.-Reception:The Allmusic review awarded the album 4½ stars.-Track listing:DISC 1: THE SWEET TIME SUITE:...
(ECM) - 1990: The Widow in the WindowThe Widow in the WindowThe Widow in the Window is an album by trumpeter Kenny Wheeler recorded in 1990 and released on the ECM label. "Ana", the longest piece on the album, was originally written for Alexander von Schlippenbach's Berlin Contemporary Jazz Orchestra, which would eventually be recorded in 1989...
(ECM) - 1992: Kayak
- 1996: Touché (Justin Time, with Paul BleyPaul BleyPaul Bley, CM is a pianist known for his contributions to the free jazz movement of the 1960s as well as his innovations and influence on trio playing.-Biography:...
) - 1997: All the More (Soul Note)
- 1997: Angel SongAngel SongAngel Song is a studio album by Canadian musician Kenny Wheeler, recorded in 1996 and released in 1997 on the ECM label as ECM 1607. It features performances by Lee Konitz, Bill Frisell and Dave Holland.-Track listing:...
(ECM) - 1998: Live at the Montreal Bistro (Justin Time, with Sonny GreenwichSonny GreenwichSonny Greenwich was born in Hamilton, Ontario on New Years Day of 1936. He is a Canadian Avant-garde jazz guitarist. He has played in major Canadian and American cities including a concert at Carnegie Hall. He has performed with such 'greats' as Charles Lloyd, Wayne Shorter, Pharoah Sanders, McCoy...
) - 1998: Siren's Song (Justin Time)
- 1999: A Long Time AgoA Long Time Ago (album)A Long Time Ago is a studio album by Canadian musician Kenny Wheeler, released in 1999 on ECM.-Track listing:All compositions by Kenny Wheeler.#"The Long Time Ago Suite" - 31:56#"One Plus Three " - 2:20...
- 2000: One More Time (with Norma WinstoneNorma WinstoneNorma Ann Winstone MBE is a British jazz singer and lyricist. In a career spanning over forty years she is best known for her wordless improvisations....
and UMO Jazz Orchestra) - 2001: MoonMoon (Kenny Wheeler and John Taylor album)Moon is a studio album by Canadian musician Kenny Wheeler and British pianist John Taylor, recorded in 2001 and released on Egea Records. The album also features clarinetist Gabriele Mirabassi on some tracks.-Track listing:...
- 2002: Ordesa (with Stan SulzmannStan SulzmannStanley Ernest Sulzmann is an English jazz saxophonist.Sulzmann began on saxophone at age 13 and played in Bill Ashton's London Youth Jazz Orchestra, later the National Youth Jazz Orchestra. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music from 1969-1972...
and John ParricelliJohn ParricelliJohn Parricelli is a jazz guitarist, appearing and recording mainly in the United Kingdom.Parricelli began his career as a guitarist in 1982 and was one of the founding members of the British big band Loose Tubes, with whom he recorded three albums...
) - 2003: Dream Sequence
- 2003: IslandIsland (Kenny Wheeler album)Island is a studio album by Canadian musician Kenny Wheeler and trombonist Bob Brookmeyer, recorded in 2002 and released on Artist House Records in 2003.-Track listing:All compositions by Kenny Wheeler unless otherwise noted....
(with Bob BrookmeyerBob BrookmeyerRobert Brookmeyer is an American jazz valve trombonist, pianist, arranger, and composer.-Biography:Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Brookmeyer first gained widespread public attention as a member of Gerry Mulligan's quartet from 1954 to 1957. He later worked with Jimmy Giuffre...
) - 2005: Where Do We Go From Here (with John TaylorJohn Taylor (jazz)John Taylor is a British jazz pianist; he has occasionally performed on the organ and the synthesiser. He is one of Europe's most celebrated jazz pianists and composers.-Performing career:...
) - 2005: What Now?
- 2006: It Takes Two!
- 2008: Other People
- 2009: Nineteen Plus One
- 2011: One Of Many (with John Tayler and Steve SwallowSteve SwallowSteve Swallow is a jazz double bass and bass guitarist and composer born in Fair Lawn, New Jersey.One of the leading bassists in jazz, Swallow is noted for collaborations with Jimmy Giuffre, Gary Burton and Carla Bley...
)
With AzimuthAzimuth (band)Azimuth was a British jazz trio, active from 1977 to 2000. The ensemble was composed of trumpeter Kenny Wheeler, vocalist Norma Winstone and Winstone's husband, pianist John Taylor...
- AzimuthAzimuth (album)Azimuth is the debut album by British jazz trio Azimuth featuring trumpeter Kenny Wheeler, vocalist Norma Winstone, and pianist John Taylor recorded in 1977 and released on the ECM label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Michael G...
(ECM, 1977) - The TouchstoneThe Touchstone (album)The Touchstone is the second album by British jazz trio Azimuth featuring trumpeter Kenny Wheeler, vocalist Norma Winstone, and pianist John Taylor recorded in 1978 and released on the ECM label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Michael G...
(ECM, 1978) - Départ (with Ralph TownerRalph TownerRalph Towner is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger and bandleader. He plays the twelve-string guitar, classical guitar, piano, synthesizer, percussion and trumpet.-Biography:...
) (ECM, 1979) - Azimuth '85Azimuth '85Azimuth '85 is the fourth and next-to-last album by British jazz trio Azimuth featuring trumpeter Kenny Wheeler, vocalist Norma Winstone, and pianist John Taylor recorded in 1985 and released on the ECM label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Michael G...
(ECM, 1985) - How It Was Then... Never AgainHow It Was Then... Never AgainHow It Was Then... Never Again is the fifth, and final album to date, by jazz band Azimuth, in a career spanning almost two decades. It was recorded in 1994, but not released on the ECM label until 1995.-Track listing:...
(ECM, 1994)
As sideman
With John AbercrombieJohn Abercrombie (guitarist)
John Abercrombie is an American jazz guitarist, whose work often explores jazz fusion and post bop. Abercrombie has played with Billy Cobham, Jack DeJohnette, Michael Brecker and Randy Brecker...
- Open LandOpen LandOpen Land is an album by guitarist John Abercrombie with trumpeter Kenny Wheeler, saxophonist Joe Lovano, violinist Mark Feldman, organist Dan Wall and drummer Adam Nussbaum recorded in 1998 and released on the ECM label-Reception:...
(ECM, 1998)
With George Adams
George Adams (musician)
George Rufus Adams was an American jazz musician who played tenor saxophone, flute and bass clarinet. He is best known for his work with Charles Mingus, Gil Evans, Roy Haynes and in the quartet he co-led with pianist Don Pullen, featuring bassist Cameron Brown and drummer Dannie Richmond...
- Sound SuggestionsSound SuggestionsSound Suggestions is an album by the American jazz saxophonist George Adams recorded in 1979 and released on the ECM label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow awarded the album 4 stars stating "The playing is advanced but not as fiery as most of Adams' later sets".-Track listing:# "Baba" ...
(ECM, 1979)
With Rainer Brüninghaus
Rainer Brüninghaus
Rainer Brüninghaus is a German jazz pianist and composer.Born in Bad Pyrmont, Germany, Brüninghaus began in the jazz rock group Eiliff. In 1973 he joined the band of German jazz guitarist Volker Kriegel. In 1975 with bassist Eberhard Weber and Charlie Mariano he formed the band Colours...
- FreigewehtFreigewehtFreigeweht is an album by German keyboardist and composer Rainer Brüninghaus recorded in 1980 and released on the ECM label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Michael G...
(ECM, 1980)
With Collective Consciousness Society
- C.C.S.C.C.S. (album)C.C.S. was the first studio album of the British blues outfit Collective Consciousness Society, led by guitarist Alexis Korner. To avoid confusion with the group's second album with the same name, the album is often called "Whole Lotta Love", due to the inclusion of the Led Zeppelin song.-Track...
(1970)
With John Dankworth
John Dankworth
Sir John Phillip William Dankworth, CBE , known in his early career as Johnny Dankworth, was an English jazz composer, saxophonist and clarinetist...
- What the Dickens!What the Dickens! (album)What the Dickens! is a 1963 recording by Johnny Dankworth, accompanied by his orchestra and guests, some of the leading UK jazz musicians of the day. It is a suite based on characters and scenarios associated with Charles Dickens...
(1963)
with Bill Frisell
Bill Frisell
William Richard "Bill" Frisell is an American guitarist and composer.One of the leading guitarists in jazz since the late 1980s, Frisell's eclectic music touches on progressive folk, classical music, country music, noise and more...
- RamblerRambler (album)Rambler is the second album by Bill Frisell to be released on the ECM label. It was released in 1985 and features performances by Frisell, Kenny Wheeler, Bob Stewart, Jerome Harris and Paul Motian.-Reception:...
(ECM, 1985)
with Paul Gonsalves
Paul Gonsalves
Paul Gonsalves, was an American jazz tenor saxophonist best known for his association with Duke Ellington. At the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival, Gonsalves played a 27-chorus solo in the middle of Ellington's "Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue"...
- Humming BirdHumming Bird (Paul Gonsalves)Humming Bird is an album recorded in 1970 by Paul Gonsalves.-Track listing:#"Humming Bird"#"Body and Soul"#"What Is There To Stay"#"It's the Talk of the Town"#"All The Things You Are"#"Sticks"#"X. O...
(1970)
With Dave Holland
Dave Holland
Dave Holland is an English jazz double bassist, composer and bandleader who has been performing and recording for five decades. He has lived in the United States for 40 years....
- Jumpin' InJumpin' In (album)Jumpin' In is an album by bassist Dave Holland's Quintet recorded in 1983 and released on the ECM label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow awarded the album 4½ stars stating "Bassist Dave Holland leads one of his most stimulating groups on this superlative quintet date.....
(ECM, 1984) - Seeds of TimeSeeds of TimeSeeds of Time is an album by bassist Dave Holland's Quintet recorded in 1984 and released on the ECM label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow awarded the album 4 stars stating "The all-star musicians pack plenty of music and concise solos into each performance , and the unique group...
(ECM, 1985) - The Razor's EdgeThe Razor's Edge (album)-Track listing:# "Brother Ty" - 4:34# "Vedana" - 4:53# "The Razor's Edge" - 7:52# "Blues For C.M." - 9:15# "Vortex" - 8:11# "5 Four Six" - 4:26# "Wights Waits for Weights" - 5:25...
(ECM, 1987)
With Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...
- TravelogueTravelogue (Joni Mitchell album)Travelogue is a 2002 double album by Joni Mitchell featuring orchestral re-recordings of songs from throughout her career. It is the follow-up to 2000's Both Sides Now which had a similar format...
(2002)
With David Sylvian
David Sylvian
David Sylvian is an English singer-songwriter and musician who came to prominence in the late 1970s as the lead vocalist and main songwriter in the group Japan...
- Gone to Earth (1986)
With Ralph Towner
Ralph Towner
Ralph Towner is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger and bandleader. He plays the twelve-string guitar, classical guitar, piano, synthesizer, percussion and trumpet.-Biography:...
- Old Friends, New FriendsOld Friends, New FriendsOld Friends, New Friends is an album by guitarist Ralph Towner recorded in 1979 and released on the ECM label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow awarded the album 4 stars calling it "An intriguing set well worth several listens"....
(ECM, 1979)
External links
- Kenny Wheeler entry in the 'Canadian Encyclopaedia'
- Kenny Wheeler profile on the 'European Jazz Network'
- 2003 Interview with journalist John Eyles, from AllAboutJazz.com
- 2005 Interview with John Fordham - PDF from JazzServices.org.uk
- 2005 Review of the Kenny Wheeler Big Band by John Fordham in the 'Guardian'
- Kenny Wheeler on ECM Records
- FMP releases